I need coldwater diving tips

[MgicTwnger]

Keep the dive shallow and short.

As usual, Pug hits the nail on the head.

 

[Daryl Morse]

I need tips for staying warm in a wetsuit in 5 degree Celsius water.

Easy, don't do it.

I dove yesterday in water that was 46F/8C with air temperature of 50F/10C. I was wearing a dry-suit with fleece undergarments. It was pretty darn cold, even during the SI.

In December, I dove in water that was 61F/16C with air temperature of 75F/24C. I was wearing a full 5mm wetsuit with a 5mm sleeveless hooded vest, 5mm boots and 5mm gloves. I was comfortable during the dives, but I pumped a lot of hot water into the suit during the SI.

I cannot imagine diving in a 5mm wetsuit in 5C water. I wouldn't even consider it unless there was a really, really good rea$on.

 

[moneysavr]

I use a 1mm Henderson microprene under my wet suit 3mm for warmer 7mm for cooler seems to stop the water moving thru, and well im warm for the first dive its the SI that gets me!

 

[Doc Thomas]

I need tips for staying warm in a wetsuit in 5 degree Celsius water.

42 degree F (5 degree C) water is nothing to ignor. If you ended up with an unplanned prolonged dive, you could get hypothermic fast. Imagine for a moment that you stayed longer than you planned due to a buddy in trouble, or who knows what. Suddenly you look at your computer and it's calling for a 2 minute stop at 20 feet and then a 10 minute stop at 10 feet. Assuming you've got enough air (and you may not if you're cold) the average person will begin shivering (maybe dangerously) during the deco stops. That not only raises your risk of burning through the remaining air too fast, but greatly increases your odds of the bends -- the so called "undeserved hit." Diving in 42 degree water in a wet suit is simply asking for a chamber ride. (Although lots of people do it and get away with it.) I was diving a 51 degree quarry in Oronogo Missouri with a diver that I had never met before. When I signed in at the entrance, the owner asked me if "this guy" could join me -- since he showed up alone, and the owner knew me. Against my better judgement (I prefer knowing who I'm diving with) I agreed. He was in a 7mm farmer john with a 3 mm shorty under it. The rest of us were in drysuits. On the second dive he and I were alone at 105 feet, when he grabbed my arm and shoved his SPG in my face -- 200 psi!!!! I grabbed his BC, and handed off my pony regulator. I still had 1900 psi of my original 3500 psi's. As I started our ascent, he was shivering so hard that he had to use both hands to keep the regulator in his mouth. During our safety hang at 20 feet he exhausted the 13 CF pony I had given him, and I had to give him my primary reg and go on my own Sherwood Shadow (it's an in-line reg attached to my power inflator.) I had enough air for both of us, but the whole thing was unnecessary. One just simply should not dive that kind of water without the proper equipment -- in his case, a drysuit. (And the whole ordeal reaffirmed my prejudice against diving with an unknown.) I also think that farmer john suits are way over rated. It's not the thickness of the suit that really keeps you warm -- of course it helps. It's blocking the water flow in and out of your suit (what's called 'pumping water') that matters. The more seams you have, the more leaks you have. Also, keep in mind, the insulating properties of neoprene rubber are produced by the closed air cells in the rubber. What happens to those air cells at 33 feet of depth? Right, they're cut in half. So at 33 feet you have about 1/2 the insulating capacity that the suit had at the surface. At 99 feet you're down to a 1/4 -- i.e., less than a 3 mm suit. Lastly, if you insist on divning wet, and for whatever reason won't go dry, consider this: Minimize the seams in the wet suit by going to a one piece 7mm custom made for you, with ring seals in the sleeves and legs. Wear a 3 mm hooded vest under it, and, if need be, wear a beany over that. Good luck (and consider a drysuit).... Doc

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Water temps in the low 40s are nothing to screw around with.

So long as things go as planned, you're golden on - as Pug puts it - short, shallow dives. But what do you do if things don't go as planned? Hypothermia can set in rapidly in water that cold.

I'd recommend you consider getting a drysuit if you're going to consistently dive in 42 degree water...

Really cold water is nothing to screw with even in a dry suit. We did a live boat drift dive a few years ago in a large river with a 4-5 kt current in 35 degree water. The moron operating the boat managed to put it on a sandbar and we surfaced mid-channel with no boat in sight. We all got real cold before we managed to reach shore and then we were still in the middle of no where in 15 degree air temps and a 20 kt wind. It was bad enough in a dry suit, it probably would have been fatal to someone in a wet suit.

 

[DCROOK]

When the water is too cold, I usually start having sinus problems. It isn't a problem on the first dive, but once my nose starts running, my diving is nearing an end. I only encounter this in really cold water though. Also, if its too cold, I'm not enjoying myself.

 

[Lawman]

Over your head. It will make blood rush to your brain and you will
realize that what you're doing is Madness! Call a travel agent and
go to Coz before your noggin cools off.

 

[FatCat]

I need tips for staying warm in a wetsuit in 5 degree Celsius water.

If you really want to continue diving in a wetsuit, consider a double 7 mil. I'd recommend something like a BARE Supra Arctic. Forget longjohn/hooded vest combos, they stink.

Another possibility is a 7 mil one piece, true semidry with fold-in wrist and ankle seals, preferably a metal dry suit zipper, not the plastic tie-zip and a fold-in neoprene neck seal. Wear a neoprene t-shirt underneath (bare neoprene on the inside works best).

Wear 3 mil neoprene socks in your 7 mil booties and use three finger gloves. I dove for two straight winters with something like that and I only changed to a drysuit because I got fed up with freezing to death in my speedos at - 4°C at the surface with an added windchill factor of -15°C.

The drysuit doesn't keep me noticeably warmer, but it sure beats stripping bare out in the open between dives.

 

[Goose75]

I assume from your question that you have no cold diving experience. I dove four dives this weekend in 46F and postponed a fifth dive. That gives me 6 cold dives total. I can say the MOST important thing I did, was have an instructor go down with me and introduce me to the whole experience. I highly advice doing the same. By getting an introduction you will know you have the right gear and he/she can watch your reaction. The next critical thing is getting warm on your surface interval. Hot water shower/warm water in jugs, towels, dry cloths, heated cabin/car all will help you recover. You will not be acclimitized yet, so you can't overprepare. Don't worry about looking silly or what others think, they will think a lot better of you if they don't have to cancel a second dive for hypothermia.

 

[mech]

I dive mid 50's to low 40's.
I always thought my tough body handled the cold well.
I really didn't know how much I was affected untill I started diving dry.
DA Aquamaster was right about a possible fatality if a wet diver was on his river trip.
About 3 years ago near Sydney Vancouver Island 2 crabbers not far from me died from a 45 minute exposure in 56 degree water.
I never thought that was possible to a healthy man.